Kenyan retains men's title at first evening Singapore Marathon
SINGAPORE — The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) was held for the first time in the evening on Saturday (30 November), as participants enjoyed the night city skyline during their 42.195km race.
Defending elite men’s champion Joshua Kipkorir of Kenya became the second person to in SCSM history to retain his title, when he led from start to finish to breast the tape in 2hr 19min 13sec, just 34 seconds ahead of runner-up Munyo Solomon Mutai of Uganda. Bahrain’s Benson Seurei (2:20:25) came in third.
Priscah Cherono made it a double for Kenya ,as she shattered the course record for the elite women’s category with a time of 2:28:53. Her win shattered Salina Kosgei’s 13-year time by almost three minutes.
Her compatriot Stellah Jepng’Etich Barsosio came in second (2:30:19), while Australia’s Alemnesh Guta was third (2:37:04).
Singapore marathoner Soh Rui Yong made it a hat-trick of wins in the Singapore men’s category, clocking 2:45:52 to emerge victorious over Iskandar Mohammed (2:50:57) and Daniel Leow (2:51:50).
“It’s really nice to have Singaporean public out there just cheering everyone on,” Soh said after his win. “I was amazed by the crowd at Benjamin Sheares Bridge as I did not imagine people going up there, but it felt nice as that’s the section that you really needed the boost and support. The final stretch of the race was beautiful.”
In the Singapore women’s category, Sharon Tan broke Rachel See’s two-year grip on the title, winning in 3:12:52. Jasmine Goh (3:17:56) came in second, while Siew Lu Chng (3:32:27) was third.
When asked about racing in the evening, she said, “I like it. You do not need to wake up early to prepare, you will have sufficient rest, the temperature is also quite cooling, more conducive for setting a personal best.”
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